Display stand



April 8, 1941. W.\H1NKEL 2,237,879 I DIsLAY STA Patented Apr. 3, 1941 UNITED `S'lliTllS PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY STAND William Hinkel, Milwaukee, Wis., assigner to Jos.

Schlitz Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a

corporation of Wisconsin Application April 20, 1940, Serial No. 330,641

5 Claims.

This invention relates to `advertising displays and refers particularly to a display stand for use in displaying bottled goods like beer and other beverages.

"In advertising displays of thisv type, ern-pty bottles must be used; but empty bottles lack the appeal of full bottles.

` It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a display stand so constructed that itimparts the illusion of a full bottle when the display is viewed in the normal manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a display stand so constructed as to support a plurality of bottles in a novel pyrarnid fashion.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of means for securing the bottles in place on the stand sothat they cannot be removed or shifted from their proper positions with respect tothat portion of the stand which serves to create the illusion of fullness for the bottles.

A further object of this invention is to provide a stand of the character described which is formed of sheet metal so as to be light and relatively inexpensive.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly dened by the appended claims, it being underi stood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with the best mode so far devised for the practical application oi the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a display stand constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a side view thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 3 3; and

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through one of the bottle supporting units to illustrate the manner in which the bottles are secured in place.

- Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates generally the complete display stand which, in the present instance, consists of six individual bottle supporting units 6. These units are arranged in a pyrai' mid', with three comprising a lower tier, two a middle tier, and one the top tier.

While the entire display stand may be stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal, it is preferable to form the upper two tiers of bottle supporting units from one piece, and the lower tier from another piece.

Each individual bottle supporting unit comprises a base portion 'l and a back il. The base portions for the lower tier of bottle supporting units are integral parts of a main base plate 9 having rearwardly and forwardly extending projections or feet It! to provide sufficient width for the main Abase plate to insu-re steadiness.

The backs 8 of all of the bottle supporting units are transversely curved and longitudinally shaped to hug the contour of the bottles B; and inasmuch asthe width of these backs is less than the diameters or outline of the bottles, the presence of the backs is not easily discerned. However, because of the opaque wall provided by these backs and their close juxtaposition to the bottles. they create' the illusion of the bottles being full when the display is viewed from the front.

This is especially so when the bottles are of a dark colored glass, as is often the case with beer bottles.v f

As stated, the base portion and back of each bottle supporting unit are integrally connected; and by virtue of the fact that the base portions of the lower tier of bottle supporting units are constituent parts of the main base plate, the

three bottle supporting units of the lower tier are connected.

The bottleI supporting units of the two upper tiers are connected by bridging strips II which, by virtue of the fact that the bottle supporting units of the upper two tiers are stamped from a single sheet of metal, are integral parts thereof. 'I'hese bridging strips are so located that the uppermost bottle will be supporteed between the necks of the intermediate bottles.

The lower ends of the intermediate bottle supporting units have laterally extending strips I2 which are welded or otherwise secured to the adjacent portions of the backs 8 of the lowerrnost bottle supporting units.

If the entire display stand is formed from a single piece of sheet metal, these strips I2, like the bridging strips II, form integral parts of the adjacent backs.

The bottles are held in place by projections or lips I3 extending up from the base portions 1 to engage the lower front peripheries of the bottles and. by having crown caps I4 applied thereto and What I claim as my invention is: I

1. A device for supporting a bottle to be displayed and for giving an empty bottle the appearance of containing liquid, said device comprising: a base adapted to receive the bottom of a bottle; a backing and supporting member extendhorizontal base and a substantially vertical back, said back being transversely curved and longitudinally shaped to t .the contour of the bottle and being of less width than the outline of the bottle so that when the bottle is viewed from the front said back is not directly visible; abutments on the base engaging in front of the bottle to hold the bottle against the back; and a bottle cap secured to the upper end of the back and engaged with the mouth of the bottle to hold the bottle down on the base.

4. A display stand for supporting a plurality of empty bottles in a pyramid and for imparting the illusion of full bottles comprising: a sheet metalstamping having a plurality of horizontal baseportions on different elevations and each ing up from the base, said backing andsupport-l ing member being shaped to t the contour of the bottle and having a width less than the outline of the bottle so that viewed from the front the backing and supporting member is seen only through the bottle which creates the impression of the bottle being full; and means on the base coacting with said backing and supporting member for holding a bottle in position.

2. A device for supporting a bottle to be displayed and for giving an empty bottle the appearance of containing liquid, said device comprising: a base adapted to receive the bottom of a bottle; a backing and supporting member extending up from the base, said backing and supporting member being shaped to fit the contour of the bottle and having a width less than the outline of the bottle so that viewed from the front the backing and supporting member is seen only through the bottle which creates the impression of the bottle being full; means on the base coacting with said backing and supporting member for holding a bottle in position; and a bottle cap fixed to the upper end of said backing and supporting member and engaging the mouth of the bottle to cooperate with the base and backing and supporting member in holding the bottle against displacement.

3. A display stand for holding and displaying an empty bottle with the illusion of a full bottle comprising: a sheet metal stamping having a Aadapted to receive the bottom of a bottle and having a back rising substantially vertically i therefrom, said backs being shaped to hug the contour of the bottles and having a width less than the outline of the bottles so that when the bottles are viewed from the front the vbacks are not directly visible but visible only through the bottles to create the illusion of fullness; projections on the base portions engageable with the lower front edges of the bottles for holding the bottles on the base portions; means secured to the backs engageable with the upper ends of the bottles for holding the bottles down on the base portions and for cooperating with said projections to hold the bottles against the backs; and said stamping having connecting portions joining the lower portions of the upper bottle supporting units with the upper portions of the lower bottle supporting units.

5. A bottle display device of the character described comprising: a base; a plurality of spaced uprights bent up from said base, each being shaped to fit the contour of a bottle and having a height substantially equal to that of the bottle;

means on the base cooperating with the uprights for holding the lower ends of bottles in place, one in front of each upright; and caps fastened to the tops of the uprights and engaging the mouths of the bottles so that each bottle is firmly held in position in front of one upright.

WILLIAM HINKEL. 

